Freeborn County, MN Mystery Photo... Grinolds?

Another old tin type, compliments of Aunt Lena (Nelson) Torry's photo album...

Freeborn County, Minnesota area

Again, I assume these two ladies are somehow connected to the Grinolds or Schoonover family... but their identities are unknown. Likely lived in Freeborn Co, MN or possibly Wisconsin or New York state

Interesting clothing... especially the shawls/wraps, that actually look like some kind of Native American blankets?!

Too bad I'm not an expert on mid-1800 American clothing styles

Mystery Photo... Southern Minnesota tintype

Among many unidentified tin types that came from an album I inherited a few years ago....

The album belonged to Lena Sophia (Nelson) Gisleson Torry, a daughter of Ole Nelson & Mary Rosetta Grinolds.... and younger sister to my Great-Great Grandfather John C. Nelson.

Lena's son Walter had the album and it eventually found its way to a cousin of his... who then passed it on to me.

I presume these two men are somehow connected to the Grinolds family... they probably lived in either the Juneau Co, Wisconsin or Freeborn Co, MN areas.

And hopefully someday, their identities will be known!

More Family Treasures...

My Great-Grandmother Ruby's chaotic life has been chronicled in a prior entry.... And her chaotic life allowed few personal items to pass onto her descendants. Luckily, this Royal Sealy tea set did! While living in Minneapolis, Ruby's twin sister Ruth visited and this tea set was sent home with Ruth for Ruby's daughter, Betty (my Grandma). My Grandma always prominently displayed this set, which has special meaning, coming from the Mother she never really knew. Last year, this lovely little set became mine.


I've always liked black glass, and this bowl and cake plate that my Grandma always had in her china cabinet, was a favorite of mine. It belonged to Nelsine Bendina (Anderson) Nelson, my Great-Great Grandmother, who was my Grandpa Dale's Grandmother. Grandma Nelson died in 1950, two years before my Grandparents married, but eventually they were given a couple of things that were from the Nelson home. Unfortunately, I never asked my Great-Grandmother where her Mother obtained these two black pieces....... So the origins of them are unknown. After many years in Grandma's china cabinet, they've now become part of mine.

This corner cabinet was probably built in the 1930's or 1940's... the builder was Erwin Bruce, my Great-Great Uncle. Apparently he was quite the furniture maker as it isn't the only project of his to survive today.

Erwin made the cabinet for his sister Ruth Stoddard, the woman I knew as my Great-Grandma... Erwin and Ruth were very close, so it is no surprise he would build such a piece for her. And it remained in her Winnebago home for many decades untile the early 1980s, when she entered a nursing home and the household was broken up and the home sold. My Mother was given the cabinet and growing up in was always in our living room.... eventually my Mother obtained new dining room furniture and this fine cabinet was regailed to the basement. When I moved away from home, the cabinet came with me and now looks as if it belongs in my living room.